Let folks in the rest of the nation celebrate the Fourth of July with hot dogs and hamburgers. Bay Area grillers can upstage that menu with a sausage bonanza.

Cruise local markets and you can't help but notice that we are in a golden age for links, with suppliers rivaling one another for creativity and using top-notch meats. Nothing wrong with the basic Hot Italian, but why not plan a sausage showcase this year?

Lamb sausage with red wine and arugula. Duck sausage with dried cherries. Chicken mojito sausage with rum. Basque sausage coil with piment d'Espelette (Basque red pepper). With these plump beauties lined up and sizzling on your grill, just ice the beer, open the mustard and you've got a party.

Nothing is easier to grill than sausages - cook slowly and turn often, experts say - and few foods are better canvases for global flavors. Petaluma's Caggiano Co., which supplies Mill Valley Market, Piedmont Grocery and Antonelli's, among many other retailers, has branched into seasonings like lemongrass and curry in one chicken sausage, and Tequila and habanero peppers in another.

Small independent stores like Fatted Calf in Napa and Bi-Rite Market, Golden Gate Market and Avedano's Holly Park Market, all in San Francisco, are producing myriad sausages by hand with natural or even organic meat, sometimes from local farms. Bigger markets like Whole Foods, Draeger's and Berkeley Bowl also make an impressive array of fresh links on the premises.

"The interesting flavors sell out pretty quick," confirms Tia Harrison, sausage maker at the year-old Avedano's in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood. Duck sausage, lamb sausage with lavender and a Mexican-style chorizo are among the hits in her repertoire.

Two dozen types

Golden Gate Market in San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace offers about two dozen different house-made fresh sausages at all times, including a garlicky venison link, a wild boar-beer sausage and some low-sodium choices. Baron's Meat & Poultry in Alameda makes 15 to 18 different types.

All of these premium producers boast about the high quality of the meat they use, and the absence of preservatives. They've all heard the old joke about sausages and laws - two things you don't want to see being made - and take pains to describe their own fastidious methods.

"We bone out our own pork butt," says Richard Caggiano, whose Caggiano Co. has been producing sausage for 20 years. He grinds it coarsely so the finished links have a more pleasing texture. Lower-end manufacturers buy frozen blocks of pork trimmings, says Caggiano, and have to grind the meat finely because of the gristle.

Baron's uses pork butt from the well-marbled Kurobuta breed, also known as Berkshire. Fatted Calf's esteemed sausages are made with pasture-raised pork, organic chicken and Sonoma County Poultry's Liberty Ducks. Bi-Rite makes 800 pounds of sausage a month - a tally that's growing - with pork from Niman Ranch and Devil's Gulch Ranch in Nicasio.

But even the best meat will produce unpalatable sausage if the recipe doesn't include enough fat. Lean sausage, which many calorie-conscious shoppers think they want, is about as satisfying as a salt-free pretzel.

"Eat it less often, but buy the real deal with a good amount of pork fat," urges Taylor Boetticher, proprietor of the Fatted Calf. Boetticher says his pork sausages are about 28 percent fat; other local producers aim lower, with several saying their target is 20 percent. "Lower than 20 (percent), I've never had anything that can be described as moist," says Boetticher.

"A sausage without fat is not a good sausage," concurs Harrison of Avedano's. "Maybe people wished it wasn't so."

Kneading the meat and fat by hand, rather than mechanically, also improves the results, says Boetticher. In Tuscany, where he learned his craft, butchers worked the meat and fat on a marble slab until the ingredients all but emulsified - a procedure possible only in a small-volume enterprise.

"It's like whipped cream," says Boetticher. "You can do it faster in a machine, but it's a little more vigorous. You wind up with too tight of a mixture."

Serving suggestions

The final step in getting juicy sausage to the plate rests in the hands of the cook (see "How to grill sausages," this page). Slice grilled sausages into smaller chunks and arrange on platters by type, so guests can sample a variety. Make name tags for each platter so your guests can tell the Provencal sausages from the spicy pork Cajuns.

To start, pass warm bruschetta topped with slow-roasted tomatoes. Then serve up the sausages and a trio of sides: grilled red onions splashed with aged sherry vinegar; sweet corn slathered with pimenton butter; and a summery green and yellow bean salad. End the festivities with mascarpone ice cream and a warm peach and rhubarb crisp. With such an easy party menu, you may want to schedule another Fourth of July.

How to grill sausages

-- Grill fresh sausages slowly. A hot fire is likely to flare up and will over-brown links before the insides are fully cooked.

-- Build a small fire, not a huge one. Stay by the grill and turn the sausages frequently with tongs - put down that fork - until they are brown and crisp all over.

-- If you have an instant-read meat thermometer, cook pork sausages to about 145°, poultry sausages to 155°. The internal temperature will rise as the sausage rests.

Where to buy sausages

The following small, independent markets make a variety of sausages in house. Whole Foods (many Bay Area locations), Berkeley Bowl and Draeger's (San Mateo, Menlo Park, Los Altos) are also good sources for house-made fresh sausage.

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 300°. Core tomatoes. Cut plum tomatoes in half lengthwise then cut a very thin slice off the rounded side so they don't rock in the baking dish. If using slicing tomatoes, cut them in half crosswise.

Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, in a baking dish just large enough to hold them.

Season with salt. Scatter the garlic over the tomatoes, then spoon olive oil over them evenly. Season the tomatoes with oregano, crumbling the herb between your fingers to release its fragrance as you add it.

Bake the tomatoes, basting them with pan drippings every 30 minutes, until they feel soft and look shrunken but have not collapsed, about 3 hours. Set aside and let cool until just warm.

Preheat the broiler. Cut the focaccia or herb slab into 12 "fingers" of desired size - perhaps 1 1/2 inches wide and 4 inches long. The exact size doesn't matter as long as they are roughly all the same. (You will not use all the bread.)

If using focaccia, broil it on both the top and bottom sides until lightly toasted. If using Acme herb slab, which is thicker than most focaccia, set the "fingers" on their sides so that the interior of the bread is exposed to the heat. Broil, turning once, until lightly toasted on both sides.

Cut the tomatoes in half again to make 12 pieces. Put a piece of warm tomato on top of each toast and crush it lightly with the back of a fork so that some of the juices seep into the toast. Grate some ricotta salata over each toast and garnish with a basil leaf. Serve immediately.

Green & Yellow Bean Salad with Chopped Egg & Tarragon

You can prepare all the parts of this salad a couple hours ahead, but toss it just before serving.

2 large eggs

2 heads butter lettuce

1/2 pound slender green beans, ends trimmed

1/2 pound slender yellow wax beans, ends trimmed

The dressing

2 tablespoons finely minced shallots

1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 1/2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, or more as needed

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

-- Kosher or sea salt

-- Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions: Put the eggs in a small saucepan with cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand 8 minutes. Drain and chill under cold running water. When cool, peel the eggs. Keep them in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap.

Wash the butter lettuce and dry thoroughly. Set aside the pale yellow hearts and crisp yellow-green leaves for this salad, while saving the dark-green outer leaves for another use.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the beans and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Test often; timing will depend on size. Drain and set aside on paper towels until cool. Pat dry if necessary.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, put the shallots, tarragon, fish sauce and vinegar. Whisk in the olive oil. Season highly with salt and pepper.

To assemble: In a large serving bowl, toss the beans with the dressing. Add the lettuce, tearing it into bite-size pieces, and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasoning; the salad may need more salt or vinegar. Chop the eggs coarsely and scatter them over the salad. Serve immediately.

Grilled Red Onions with Sherry Vinegar

Serves 6

2 extra-large red onions, peeled but with root end intact

-- Extra virgin olive oil

-- Kosher or sea salt

-- Sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar

Instructions: Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Cut the onions into 8 wedges through the root end, leaving the root end intact. Insert a toothpick or thin skewer through each wedge to hold the layers together. Brush the onions with the olive oil.

If using a charcoal grill, when the coals are ready, place them all on one side of the grill so that there are no coals under one half of the grill rack. Put the grill rack in place and preheat for 5 minutes. If using a gas grill, turn off the burner beneath one area large enough to hold the onions.

Season the onions with salt and put them on the grill rack, directly over the coals or hot burner. Grill until nicely charred on both cut sides, then move the onions to the other, unheated side of the grill so they cook by indirect heat. Cover and cook until the onions are tender when pierced with a knife. Total cooking time should be 25-30 minutes.

Sweet Corn with Pimentón Butter

Serves 6

Spanish pimentón de La Vera (smoked paprika) is available in sweet, bittersweet and hot styles. Any type would work in this recipe. You can find pimentón at the Spanish Table, in Berkeley and Mill Valley, and at well-stocked supermarkets. It's pleasing to have a little crunch of salt in the butter, so use coarse salt, such as gray salt, if possible.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon pimentón de La Vera

-- Coarse sea salt, such as gray salt, to taste

6 large ears fresh corn, husked

Instructions: In a small bowl, combine the butter, pimentón and salt to taste until thoroughly blended. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil over high heat. Add the corn, cover and remove from the heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Lift the ears out of the pot with tongs and quickly pat dry with paper towels. Slather with pimentón butter and serve immediately.

Peach & Rhubarb Crisp

Adapted from a recipe for rhubarb and peach pie in "Baking with Jim Dodge," by Jim Dodge with Elaine Ratner (Simon & Schuster, 1991).

The filling

1 1/2 pounds peaches

3/4 pound rhubarb

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons tapioca

The topping

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-- Pinch salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cool but not cold, in tablespoons

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375°.

Prepare the filling: Cut an "X" opposite the stem end of each peach. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the peaches and boil for about 30 seconds, until the skin begins to peel back from the "X." Transfer peaches to the ice water with tongs. When cold, drain and peel; the skin should slip off easily, but use a vegetable peeler to remove any that clings. Halve and pit the peaches and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

Trim the ends of the rhubarb, then slice crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the peaches, rhubarb, granulated sugar and tapioca. Stir to coat evenly. Let stand 15 minutes to draw out the peach juices, stirring occasionally.

To prepare the topping in an electric stand mixer: With the paddle attachment, mix the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt until well blended. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the oats and walnuts and mix on low speed until the topping comes together in clumps, 2-3 minutes.

To prepare the topping by hand: In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt and mix with a fork until well blended, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar. Add the butter and mix with the fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the oats and walnuts and stir them in with the fork. Then rub the mixture between your fingers until the topping comes together in clumps, about 1 minute.

Put the fruit mixture in a non-metallic 10-inch pie pan. Cover with the crisp topping, spreading it evenly. It should cover the fruit. Bake until the fruit mixture is bubbling and the crisp topping is golden brown, 45-55 minutes. If the juices threaten to bubble over onto the oven floor, slide a baking sheet under the pie pan to catch any drips. Transfer the crisp to a rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with Mascarpone Ice Cream (see recipe).

Mascarpone Ice Cream

Makes about 1 quart

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 vanilla bean

3/4 cup sugar

-- Pinch kosher or sea salt

-- Yolks of 6 large eggs

1 cup mascarpone

Instructions: Put the half-and-half and cream in a saucepan. With the tip of a paring knife, scrape the vanilla seeds into the saucepan, then add the half pod. Bring mixture to a simmer over moderate heat, then cover and set aside to steep for 15 minutes.

Put the sugar, salt and egg yolks in a bowl and whisk vigorously until the mixture is pale and forms a ribbon when you lift the whisk. Gradually whisk in the warm cream mixture, including the vanilla pod. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture visibly thickens, 2-3 minutes. If you have an instant-read thermometer, stop cooking when the mixture reaches 175°. Do not allow the custard to boil or it will curdle.

Remove the custard from the heat and stir constantly for a couple minutes. Cool 15 minutes, then whisk in the mascarpone. Refrigerate several hours, until well chilled. Remove the vanilla bean. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.